Caged Birds, Paper Wings
by Animangod
Summary: Listened to Paper Plane and Prisoner by Rin Kagamine and Len Kagamine And boy did I cry trying to write this. Yuui is in the hospital that shares a border with a prison where his Father works and Kurogane is a prisoner. Yuui and Kurogane send paper planes at each other And just so you're not surprised, the prison is awful and Yuui and Kurogane both die.


Yuui was always sick, spending over ten years, more than half of his days in the hospital with a view outside to the grassy fields and the tall barbed fence. It was about the same time each day, a young man would go to the other side of the fence and stand there.

He had tattered clothes but he always looked like he wanted to fly into the sky. Even when he couldn't, he would fold these papers into planes and send them over the fence to him. He would meet up with him there, and it took a little trying at first, but Yuui sent a paper plane over to him in return.

Even the blue rose in his room couldn't compare to the way he would offer a small smile every time he got to see him. Even if it did nothing to cure his sickness, his heart felt a bit lighter, getting to spend that time with him. Unlike the hospital staff and even his own father, he never once told him how sick he was or how bad things were going to get. Instead his letters were always uplifting, like his gaze to the sky, and sometimes there would be a little humor, a silly poem that made him smile. There was a couple times, he had left him a compliment that would leave him blushing and smiling every time he thought about it.

* * *

Imprisoned, Kurogane had gotten used to getting beaten, to make him subservient. The food was minimal, just enough to stay alive. The only thing decent in his life now was the small time he was allowed to go outside. For just that bit of time, he got to escape his ordeals. He would stand by the fence with his paper plane, one of the few things he was ever afforded, hoping that sweet face would show up again.

He never knew the other's name but still, those letters he got in return, he treasured them all. He'd spent his later teen years locked away with only that brief hour of temporary freedom. Things used to be different, things used to be happy all the time. But now, happiness was fleet and it came when they let him out for some exercise.

He was sure he looked awful so he always offered a smile, because even when nothing else was going good in his life, this one bright spot in his life, he quietly prayed for his happiness. All his letters closed with 'Let's meet again tomorrow' a simple request to see him once again. He supposed this was the closest he'd find to love. It made him make grosed out faces as a kid but now, now things were different and he wasn't an eight year old kid who still lived with his parents.

* * *

One day, as he read the latest letter from the other guy, Yuui's father came into his hospital room. Yuui didn't know why he was so cold, but his father disapproved of him getting those paper letters and took it from his hands, crushing it in front of him. Watching that letter be smashed and thrown away - it felt like his heart cracked.

After that, his health got worse. It was as though his heart had given up on fighting to live and let the sickness consume him. Even as he lay there in bed with life supporting and life monitoring machines attached, all he could think of was 'let me see you one more time'.

* * *

Kurogane didn't know what happened but he spent months coming to the fence between him and that ray of light without any sight of the other. Even if no one showed, he still held out hope that maybe he had just missed the other and that tomorrow would be the day. He'd send out a plane every day and noticed at least someone must have got them or the wind blew them away.

Some days, he was tempted to climb that fence that divided them, but he knew doing that and he would surely be sentenced to death, not just imprisonment. So until he saw his sunshine again, the memories and letters he had got back helped keep him warm at night as he slept on the rocky floor.

* * *

Yuui knew he was almost out of time, so even as tears fell down, he wrote a goodbye note for the other. He disconnected himself from the machines and shut them off before he left his room to send that last plane. He prayed he would have enough strength to see him one more time.

It hurt to see how surprised and happy the other looked to see him again because Yuui knew this was the last time. He knew he would never get to see him again.

Kurogane had gone every day but had begun to worry he'd never see him again when he saw him for the first time in a seemingly long time. He seemed a little more distant, but even so, it was a relief to see him once more.

Yuui smiled although it didn't reach his eyes as he tossed the paper plane over the fence for the other. He watched as the air carried it to him, and even with his own in hand, he reached out to catch the plane and held it close before sending over his own plane.

Kurogane had watched him send the paper plane before backing up a little to catch the plane. He held onto it close as he tossed one back and watched the other hang onto it. He opened the paper plane and it didn't take long for his eyes to catch on the last sentence.

'I have to go away for a trip, so I guess this is goodbye.'

Kurogane looked back at him, and called out, "let's meet again someday."

Yuui was a bit taken aback by that and smiled, "Yes, one day.." He then turned around so that nice man wouldn't see him as his eyes teared up and he cried all the way back to the hospital.

Kurogane smiled at him as long as he was facing him but once his back was turned, his expression fell. He couldn't recall the last time he had genuinely cried but as he knew there was little chance he would see his ray of light again, the tears dripped down slowly before they poured out of him. After his hour was up, he was put back in his cell his eyes even redder from crying.

* * *

With the wires and tubes and mask back on, Yuui held onto that paper airplane with his dying strength. And as the light slowly faded out of him, so too did the plane fall out of his hand, falling to the floor below. His final thought was, 'one day, let's meet again'.

His father pushed into the room, yelling, and the nurses had to hold him back as the heart monitor turned into a long monotonous flatline whine. Anger filled him.

That night, he got ready for work and went to the prison. When he came across the young man reading a letter, he had two of his officers pull the prisoner out, and he took the letters from him. With the one he was just reading in his hands, he ripped it in front of him and let the halves fall to the ground.

Held back, Kurogane watched in horror as that man destroyed the note from his sunshine. Even weak from malnutrition and the poor treatment, he found enough rage to break through the two holding him and punch that man in the face.

He was so surprised that it was another guard that moved to hold Kurogane back and restrain him from landing another blow.

He hated to cry in front of others but it didn't stop them from sliding down his cheeks, feeling angry and hurt and a bit broken spirited.

It dawned on him what he had done but it was far too late. He felt ashamed and refused to look the prisoner in the eye when he ordered for his death.

Even when he was ordered to die, Kurogane wasn't sure they could really take anything more from him. They had taken his home, his family, his strength and now his sunlight. Even as the guards took him away, he still tried to see, to reach the letter from the one person, the one piece of light he had in his life.

It was a silo like cell he was thrown in. The few in there with him we're simply waiting execution. A firing squad or guillotine would end them if they didn't die sooner.

As much of a corner as there was, Kurogane scratched at the wall until his fingers were raw and bleeding.

Above head, the sky was a soft grey, clouds slowly passing by. Looking up at the sky, all he could think about was that kind blond who he knew he would not be able to see again.

Still...

"Let me fly to where you are."

Those were his last words.


End file.
